Gotcha Day: A Year Later

I truly cannot believe that a year ago today was the first time we met our beautiful daughter. There are times when I cannot believe a year has passed, but there are times when I feel like we've had Brielle forever. I think it has almost taken me a year to process our Gotcha Day.

We decided pretty quickly after our Gotcha Day that it would not be the day for celebration. We had been warned by others about how emotional it can be for everyone, so we were somewhat prepared. I remember the first thing I thought when I saw Brielle was how incredibily tiny she was, and clearly not a typical 3 year old. We tried very hard to engage her, and help her to understand the life-changing event that was occurring. She could not make eye contact, did not know how to be held, and was not mentally with-it. It was a pretty scary day for us all. I think at that point Scott and I were accepting that we had adopted a child with very little functioning skills. That was not what we expected. Although we will never know I am sure the day was incredibly hard for Brielle too. She was taken away from the only orphanage she had known to sleep in a new one for a night, put into new clothes that were too big, and handed off to strangers who didn't speak her language.

We didn't hear any noise out of her until she let out a giggle in the car going over a pot hole. That brought a moment of relief, knowing that at least she could laugh. My prayer then became that there would be a day when she would laugh at us, not at bumps in the road.

We played outside in the grass, and with some of the toys we brought. Brielle was pretty content just to be held, and she slowly learned how to lean in and form her body to ours. We had a small dinner, and put her to bed. She went down without crying and slept 12 hours straight.

Scott and I didn't talk much about that day, and how we felt because it was too hard. Our expectations from her file were very different than the reality we walked in to.

I was reading some of the blogs I wrote before we went to Bogota last year. I had written about a sermon from Momentum based on Matthew 28-30, where Jesus talks about followers taking his yoke.  In the sermon Bart described how Christ's yoke fits each of us perfectly because the yoke is molded for us, and us for the yoke. I know on August 14, 2014 I was questioning whether the yoke Christ had given us was indeed a good fit. Now a year later I know, with out doubt, that the yoke of parenting Brielle was designed specifically for us. It is still not a perfect fit because Christ is molding us to fit that yoke every day, growing patience, love, and grace in us.

Brielle was not the child we expected her to be, and she still exceeds our expectations every day. I cannot even recount all her accomplishments this year. The way that she overcomes her difficulties amazes me every day. I am blessed to be her momma, and pray that God will continue to use her story to draw others to Him.

(And in case you're wondering October 8th is our Family Day celebration, when we will celebrate the day our adoption was final in court and we could come home a family of 3.)

 Waiting Anxiously

 She wasn't sure what to do with the baby doll

 One of her first car rides

Our first family photo!

How she has grown and changed in one year. 

We cannot wait to see what God has planned for her future!

Week 8 in Bogota, the last one!

Even though we are home I wanted to recap our final week in Bogota.

Monday: We all went up to the court with the promise of Sentencia. It is a lot of work to get Brielle ready to leave the house at 7 (she is NOT a morning person), and then drive an hour through traffic. We sat for a few hours, and then were simply told that it wasn't ready, and to come back at 8am the next day. The place where Brielle lived was a special orphanage for children with special needs called the Foundation. It was near the courthouse, so we decided to go visit. It was in Strato 1, which is the poorest area. Everyone was so happy to see Brielle, and everyone wanted to hug and kiss on her. It was nice to see how loved she was there. She was happy to see everyone, but preferred being held by Daddy. 

With some of the workers including her caretaker, Margarita. 

 Her friend Jon was so excited to see her!

Jon, Sarai and Brielle, best buds!

 This was her special friend, Juanita, from the older kids room. 

 She was worn out from her visit. 

Tuesday: I went back to the court first thing in the morning by myself to sign the Sentencia. It wasn't done being written, so we were told to come back at 2pm. I opted to wait with my lawyer at La Casa instead of driving all the way home. I talked to the kids there while I waited, and practiced English with them. When we got back the Sentencia was done, but the judge was in court so he never signed. Told to come back, and everything would be ready by 8am sharp.

Wednesday: I go back to the court again (it was a blessing that I got to go alone), and the Sentencia was ready around 9am for me to sign! Then my lawyer signed, but we still had to get the defender of minors to sign. We went up to the office and our defender had been sick for a month. My attorney had a friend in the office, but she refused to sign because of the extra work our lady was causing by being out sick. So then another guy said if my attorney could find his son a job he would sign, and so it was done! After more craziness with months printed incorrectly, and waiting for more people to sign Gabrielle was legally our daughter! So then we raced off to the notary to get the new birth certificate, and then off to the passport office to get her passport. Wednesday night we wanted to go celebrate by eating a nice Italian restaurant called Archies, and we got caught in a torrential downpour. Brielle loved running through the rain, and we ended up eating spaghetti at home. 

Our official family photo! (not easy to get a three year old to pose)

Thursday: I went back early to pick up her passport, and then we scanned it to the US Embassy and the the Embassy doctor. Our rep had informed the Embassy earlier in the week that we would need an appointment Friday in order to fly home Saturday, so we were cutting it close. In the afternoon we walked to the doctor's office to get her medical packet, and had dinner at Sopas y Postres. It was delicious!

This girl loves to eat!

Friday: We headed out for the Embassy around 11am, and when we got there they were calling "Familia Hamilton" over the loudspeaker. We rushed in to find the place empty. It turns out that the Embassy was closed for an administration day, but they made a special appointment for us! God is so good! We were interviewed by the same guy who I spoke with on the phone months before, and he said that they are always excited to help complete adoptions. We went to the mall for one last lunch before going back to pick up her official visa. It all went so smoothly! Finally, we were ready to come home!

Our wonderful rep, Martha! She made the process so smooth!

 Dinner at Archie's with our friends Sam & Brian.

Saturday: We were up bright and early to get to the airport! Brielle LOVED flying, and behaved so well the whole time. It was wonderful to have so many family and friends meet us at the airport, and finally eat some Chick Fil A! We had a wonderful time in Bogota, but it is so nice to be home!

Breakfast picnic-last time for Juan Valdez (great Colombian coffee!)

Loving the airplane! She laughed and laughed during take off!

Finally back in the US! So blessed to be home as a family of three!

We'll still keep the blog updated with Brielle's progress, and how she is adapting to life at home! We truly cannot thank everyone enough for all the support and prayers that you have provided during this adventure. We are so excited to have our girl home!

I can't believe week 7 has come and gone!

I know when we left the states we told everyone we'd be gone for 8-9 weeks, but I had no idea how long that would actually feel! We have truly loved our time on Bogota, but so much has happened at home. We are ready to get home and catch up! We are praying that our week 8 update will be the final one!

Each day of the week has gone pretty much the same. We spend a lot of time playing at the apartment, go jogging on a nice path we found, watch Baby Einstein (her new favorite!), and just spend time together. It has been nice seeing how our lives will kind of be at home. 

A few highlights from the week:

Tuesday: We went to Jeno's pizza for the half off lunch, and were literally the only people in the restaurant! We even let Brielle go (halfway) down the big slide by herself, which she loved! That girl has no fear.

Wednesday: In the evening we met our new friends Sam and Brian at Usaquen Square to find a place for dinner. The third story of the mall is a Plaza de Andres. (By the same company as Andres Carne de Res). They have all these different stations to order your food, like a cafeteria. Scott opted for a hamburger, while Brielle and I had aprepas. Sam confessed that she did not believe Brielle could eat her entire aprea covered in chicken, but she put it down and asked for more! We had a great time hanging out, and getting coffee after dinner.

She is LOVING her Five Little Monkeys book!

 Putting on Daddy's shoes all by herself!

Friday: We were really hoping for Sentenica because we have gotten all the other necessary signatures. But the secretary didn't come in, so no luck. We decided we needed to get out of the house, so we took our work (Scott) and Kindle (Allyson) the the Juan Valdez coffee shop. Its one of the few places with fast internet. Brielle took along her new favorite book, 5 Little Monkeys, which has entertained her for countless hours this week. We were just sitting and chatting, when I heard someone speaking English! So I started peaking over at the family, and as they were leaving Scott realized one of their kids was adopted. Then the dad turned around, and was like "Hey, are you all Americans?" It was truly God's providence that led us all to meet up! They are from our same agency and spending their last week or so in Bogota to get all their paperwork finished. We have found that our little area is pretty safe to walk around in the evening, so we decided to do dinner out at El Corral Gourmet. It was sooo good! They have their burgers divided by country, I had a Thai burger, and Scott had something from Europe.

We got a little dressed up in hope of Sentencia!

Dinner at El Corral

Saturday: We went with the Wood family (that we met Friday) to Simon Bolivar park. We had lots of fun. The kids played on the playground, and we had meat and corn on a stick for lunch. Their oldest daughter, Eden, was great with Brielle, and all the kids loved pushing her in the stroller. Luis made her laugh the most with all his sound effects! As we were leaving it started POURING rain. It was the first long rain shower we've had in Bogota, and the first one we've been caught in!

Sunday: During the past week I connected with a family who is here in Bogota for the adoption of their 6 month old. We met with them at Al Aguas Patos today for brunch. It has all kinds of french toast. You choose your bread, and then the toppings. Scott and I both ordered pan dulces, which turned out to be more like dessert. It was delicious though! We had a great time meeting Michelle and Chris, we just we could have connected with them earlier! Then we went to the makert with Sam and Brian. We got a few more souvenirs, and some beautiful serving spoons that we've been eyeing the whole time. Then of course we had to get ice cream at Crepes and Waffles!

Our most exciting breakthrough this week was Saturday when we got home from the park. Brielle normally has a snack around 5:00 because we don't eat dinner until closer to 7. I went over to the kitchen to fix a cup of coffee. She saw me in the kitchen, scooted over, and signed 'more' to me! That is really the first time she has told us she was hungry without screaming!

Tomorrow morning we are headed to the courthouse at 7:00am. We are so hoping that with us their the judge will sign our Sentencia! Please pray for that! We have flights booked for Saturday, so if all goes well this is our last weekend in Bogota. We will miss our friends we have made here, but it will be so nice to get home!

Week 6 in Bogota

It has been a good week, but a week that felt long. We thought we would have good news by Friday, but still nothing. Please continue to pray that we hear tomorrow (Monday), and the judge will also sign the Sentencia quickly after accepting. The Sentencia makes Brielle legally our daughter, and we will finally be able to post her pretty face!

Sunday:
Last Sunday we went to the market with my mom, and then had lunch at Andres Carne de Res. It is a very well known restaurant in Bogota because of its fun atmosphere, and kids activities. The food was great too! It was Dia del Amor y Amistad, which is like Valentine's Day, so there were fun activities because of the holiday too.

Monday: Gramma caught a flight home, and we had a quiet afternoon. I do a yearly photo book, so I've been putting together our final marriage book before it turns to a family book!

Tuesday-Friday: This week we do not have any appointments of activities, so we are trying to fall into a routine more similar to home. We go to the park and walk/run in the mornings after breakfast, have some lunch, have an hour of rest time (sometimes she naps, sometimes she plays), cook dinner, have a bath, and get ready for bed.

Walking practice at the park

Snuggles with Daddy in the morning

Thursday: Some people from the states came to look at the apartment, and it was so nice just to chat with people in English! We are missing our friends from the states, so it was very nice to make a new connection for the rest of our time here.

Saturday: Everything is an adventure in Bogota! We decided to go visit the Multiparque on Saturday. It is a huge kids park with inflatables, a little kid area, a huge playground area, and a petting zoo. We decided to take the bus, but got on the wrong one. Luckily it put off us near McDonalds, so we had lunch there! We don't eat MickyD's a lot, but I still love a double cheeseburger. While we waited for another bus a lady stopped us and told us it was too cold for Brielle to be out today. It was probably around 57 degrees. We finally caught the bus, and rode for about an hour until we were north of the city. The park was lots of fun, but Bri was a little scared of some of the rides and animals. Also, they didn't let adults go on any of the kids stuff, so we couldn't help her climb. Her favorite park was of course the huge slide! And we got to have some grown-up fun on the big swings. Overall it was a great day!

 Watching the water in the kids slide

Feeding carrots to the horse

 Coconut and raspberry brownie popsicles!

Grown-up fun on the swing! 

(We went one at a time while Brielle watched.)

Sunday: We had a normal day attending church, and eating lunch at Palatino mall. We had quite an adventure getting to church though. We got on the bus, but our card ran out when Scott tried to get on. Then the bus went the wrong direction, so we had to get off. We walked to the Exito (Walmart) to recharge our card, but they don't charge on Sundays. So we had to catch a cab instead, all just to get to church! I will be very grateful for our car! But I will miss all the walking we do here. We walked about two miles home from the mall after lunch. 

Well we are really hoping to report good news with next weeks post! Brielle continues to bond, and grow all the time. She is pulling up a lot more, and we can't wait to get her fitted for a walker at home so she'll have more mobility. Thank you for your prayers and support! 

Bogota, Week 5

We were assigned a new court last week, 15. It is supposed to be a better court, and our attorney is predicting that we get Sentencia by Friday. Please pray that this is true! Once we get Sentencia we should be home in about a week. Here's a recap of our last week:

Saturday: This was my favorite tour thus far! We went hiking at the Guatavita Lagoon with the Sanjines family. The hike took about an hour, and it rained almost the whole time. We still had so much fun, and the kids did awesome. Brielle LOVED being out in nature. She just giggled and giggled. I wish I could put up our better group picture, but can't show her face yet. Then we toured the historical town of Guatavita. It is all white stucco with the traditional hispanic tiles. It turned into a beautiful day, and we had lots of fun walking around. We even toured the bull fighting arena!

Sunday: We had a normal Sunday going to church, and then Jen and I got to shop at the market without any kids! Thanks Scott & Nick! Then they came over to our apartment for some last minute swimming. Great way to end our weekend!

Monday: We had a quiet morning, and I started getting things ready to move to a new apartment (again). We ate lunch at the Sanjines apartment. Nick made awesome empanadas! Brielle loves playing with their girls, and they are so sweet to entertain her. We are getting her to say 'mamama' more consistently, so now she just needs to understand that momma is me!

Tuesday: It was half price at Jeno's pizza, so we went there for lunch. This time we went down the slide with Brielle. She loved it! I can't wait to take her on kiddy rides at home.

Wednesday: Today was moving day, so we finished packing up our apartment. Someone had already leased it starting the 19th, so we found a new place to finish the rest of our time. We move in our bags, and then went to the airport to get Gramma! After a long time waiting on her bag we headed back to the apartment to unpack and grocery shop.

Thursday: This was our 4th wedding anniversary, and I honestly am so happy to be spending it with our daughter! I made crepes for breakfast because we did that on our first wedding anniversary. We had a final lunch with Nick & Jen, and some other friends from church. Then we hung out at their apartment for a bit. It was so hard to say goodbye, but we are already making plans to do some hiking together this fall! Our time spent in Bogota was so much better because of the awesome friends God placed in our path. Then we cooked steak and shrimp for dinner, and ended with a quiet night at home. We're planning to go see the Maze Runner this weekend since Gramma is here to babysit!

Gonna miss these cuties! 

(I can finally put up their picture, since their adoption is finalized)

Friday: We spent the morning at our new place playing with Gramma. Then we had lunch at Crepes and Waffles again. It is definitely one of our favorites here! We played at a nearby park in the afternoon until the rain came.

Saturday: We woke up to more rain, so we called our favorite tour guide, Rene, to see if he had any suggestions for the day. We ended up touring the historical part of Bogota called La Candelaria, and the Simon Bolivar plaza. The rain let up and the clouds cleared, so we took the cable car up to Monserrate. It was a beautiful view, and the sun decided to come out. We walked the stations of the cross and went in the cathedral. It is amazing to see the sprawling city of Bogota, but even more beautiful were the mountains on the other side of Monserrate. Then we took the train called the Funicular down the mountain.

Update on Brielle: She is continuing to do well, and showing more improvement every day! I had not idea how much a three year old can eat; she gets close to the same portions as Scott. She has gained weight over the last five weeks, and developed the typical 'toddler tummy'. I love it! She loves to be tickled, ride in the Ergo, play crazy games with Daddy, read books with Mommy. She is pulling up more and more, and walking around using the rolling suitcase. She is making more babbling noises. The people who have seen her over the past couple weeks comment how much she's changed and how well she is doing, which is so encouraging to us.

Again, please pray for Sentencia this week! We cannot wait to get home and settle into our regular lives. We have scheduled her first appointment with the adoption doctor at the end of October, so we'd love some time to settle in before we begin any medical treatments. Thanks for all the continued support!

Week 4

Saturday-Today we took our first all day tour to Tequendama waterfall and Hacienda Colonia. The drive (once we were out of the city traffic) was beautiful! It was so nice to drive through the mountains. Our first stop was the stinky waterfall. The nearby factories dump waste into the river above, but the waterfall was still beautiful to see. We got some traditional Colombian food at a vendor while we observed. Then we went onto Hacienda Colonia, which is a coffee plantation. It was a wonderful break from the fast paced city life. The setting was very serene with beautiful flowers and birds. We learned all about how the coffee is grown, picked, dried, and roasted. We smelled some wonderful and terrible coffees, and were educated on how to buy good coffee at the store. Then we got to sample some of the coffee grown on the Hacienda. It was a lot of fun! Our tour guide Rene was very informative, and he and Emily kept all entertained with their lively conversation. Brielle did wonderful being out all day, and we made it home with only one meltdown!

Sunday: After beautiful weather on Saturday, we woke up to rain. We waited until afternoon to head to the outdoor market, and had a late lunch in the mall. Brielle is loving playing with Grammy and Grandpap. She is getting bigger and bigger and wearing us out with all her high energy play!

Monday: We all slept in, and then Emily and I went to the park. We walked for a while, and played with Brielle on the playground. Jennifer and her kids got to come for a bit too. We had a relaxing afternoon, and then I tried my hand at making arepas for dinner. They turned out great! We had them topped with ground beef and cheese.

Tuesday: Emily and Kevin were so kind to babysit, so Scott and I could have our first real date as parents!! We went to eat at Crepes and Waffles, and saw the movie Chef. It was a lot of fun and refreshing to have some time to ourselves. Then Jen & Nick and the kids came over to swim. It was their first time, and we had so much fun. They were fearless!

Wednesday: We caught a cab downtown, and had lunch in a little sandwich shop. I have loved being adventurous and trying new places to eat. We cook a lot of our meals at the apartment, but it is fun to just find a little tienda (shop) and stop for lunch. Then we went to look at emeralds. Colombia is known for their emeralds, so I wanted to see them. Then Emily and Kevin toured the Gold Museum while the rest of us rent home to rest. They said it was a great museum!

Thursday: We headed back downtown to Simon Bolivar park. It is such a fun park that we have visited it three times. We played and walked around, and then got some lunch at the park restaurant. Their food is really interesting. My 'perrito Americano' (American hot dog) came with cheese, ketchup and chips crushed on top. Not one of my top meals in Bogota. Then we headed to the Botanical Gardens, which was beautiful! My favorite parts were the waterfall and the rose garden. We also enjoyed picking herbs from the herb garden, and getting Brielle to sniff them. She has been doing really well imitating us lately! I have been working on the "mmm" sound with her, and also "ma". Tonight I got her to imitate 'mamama' pretty well! I'm hoping she'll connect those sounds with me soon!

 Another first in Bogota! Our bus got hit by a car. The driving is crazy, but this is the first accident we've been in. Luckily everyone involved was ok, and we got on another bus right away. 

Friday: So today was supposed to be a relaxing day at home, but things quickly changed in the morning. We had to go sign a new power of attorney, so our case could be switched to a new judge. We are now in a new court, and hoping our case gets accepted and signed quickly! Please pray hard for this! Then we went to eat at Palatino, and Kevin and Emily had one last traditional Colombian meal. Brielle and I went swimming for a bit after everyone took naps, and we had steak fajitas for dinner. Then Kevin and Emily were off for the airport. We will miss them! One great discovery that Kevin made right before leaving was the Brielle will walk around with the aid of a rolling suitcase! A great makeshift walker while we're here.

Brielle thought the clothes going round and round were fascinating. 

Hopefully we'll have good news to post next week!